Dymkovo toys, also known as the Vyatka toys or Kirov toys are moulded painted clay figures of people and animals. It is one of the old Russian folk art handicrafts, which still exists in a village of Dymkovo near Kirov.

The Dymkovo toy is a unique handmade work. They never repeat. You will not find two identical Dymkovo toys, even if they were created by the same master. Dymkov toys are molded from bright red clay, then burned and subsequently decorated. The process is very exciting, but requires special skills, materials, furnaces. I suggest an interesting idea, using it, you can easily make a toy yourself and give it as a souvenir, for example, in a kindergarten or friends.

Required Material:

A plastic bottle;

Sculptural clay or ordinary children’s clay;

Paints;

Brush;

Flour;

Sharp scissors.

Steps:

1. First of all, it is necessary to cut the neck at the bottle with the help of sharp scissors. You should get a blank for the future Dymkovo toy

2. Now it is necessary to glue the resulting blank from a plastic bottle with plasticine. It is very important to make a smooth and neat layer without divorce and unevenness.

3. The next stage – build a small plasticine ball, which will act as a head in the future Dymkovo toy. Be sure to make a tall kokoshnik from clay, braid a braid, dress a wreath, etc. Do not forget about your hands, as well as all sorts of additional elements: a basket, a handbag, a bucket, a child, a samovar, etc.

4. Now the plasticine form should be thoroughly smeared with flour, this is necessary in order for the paint (for example, gouache) to lie well and not get lost in drops.

5. Then we proceed to painting and decorating. Before the beginning, cover the whole figure with the flour in a single white color. Wait until the white layer has dried, and proceed to the creative process, painting.

Below, examples of patterns and colors that are used for decorating Dymkovo toys.